Hope

When I was 10 my sister Rebekkah went into the hospital with a collapsed lung and a strep infection that threatened every organ in her body. Less than 12 hours after admitting her, they called my parents in and prepared them for her death.
At home I was making party hats for the party to welcome Rebekkah home. My sister Sarah came in and was befuddled by what I was doing. "It's going to be months if that before she comes home. Why are you making these now?" I don't remember what I answered her. But I remember keeping on making the hats.
Praise God that despite what a lot of doctors told my parents, we got to use those party hats one month later. She came home and recovered well.
Now as I think about those hats 18 years later, I thank God for the gift of hope. A gift that looks rediculous to outsiders. You do crazy things when you are guided by a hope in God. Things that look as silly as making party hats before you know if the party will happen.
But our God is a God of crazy hope. Hope that one day there will be a world without pain. Hope that God will be true to His promises. Hope that the future God has planned will outweigh the pain of the past.
Let those words sink into your soul.
Now what can you do to live out hope? You have been given the gift of hope beyond yourself. Use it today. Start that project. Sing that song with gusto. Dream about a bright future. Walk in the hope that has been given.
Don't be afraid to look funny. Step out and do something expressing hope. Watch and see how it grows your faith.